The U.S. Women’s Olympic gymnastic team didn’t earn a gold medal in 1996 simply because Kerri Strug landed a vault with a sprained ankle.
Nor did John Elway win two Super Bowls for the Broncos all by himself.
It’s teamwork that makes magic happen. The spotlight might be on one or two key players, but it takes a dedicated group to create something so beautiful the crowds cheer.
And anyone who has seen the wonder — sometimes bizarre, always awe-inspiring — that is Cirque du Soleil will grasp that concept. Teamwork is the essence of the show.
“Kooza,” the seventh Cirque traveling show to visit Denver, will entertain audiences under a classic circus tent on the Pepsi Center grounds Aug. 20 through Sept. 27.
“What’s amazing is that we draw performers from all over the world and they learn to trust each other,” says choreographer Clarence Ford, 52. ” ‘Kooza’ is going back to what the classic circus is all about, acrobatics and clowning.”
What you won’t find in this “classic” circus is a single lion, tiger or bear. And look all you want, there is no elephant in the room. It’s all about athletic people. Flexible, powerful, courageous, hilarious people, says Luc Tremblay, senior artistic director with Cirque.
Like the performers you’ll see in Denver and the people behind the scenes, “Kooza” reflects many nationalities. The very name of the show is based on an Indian word.
“It means box or small chest. It’s a circus contained in a small box,” says Tremblay, in a phone conversation from his home base in Montreal.
As in many a good story, you will be introduced to a melancholy loner, an ephemeral character who plays puppet-master to others, and, of course, a comedic force in numbers, guaranteed to delight everyone from child to senior citizen — the clowns.
A little warning? Expect them to be literally in your face.
“They’re the ones who really interact with the audience,” says Tremblay, a 53-year-old dancer and choreographer. “The director (David Shiner) was a clown, and he’s dedicated to bringing a love of clowning and humor to our show.
“The clowns aren’t aggressive, but they’re rowdy and outrageous,” he says, then bursts out laughing, as if recalling their antics. “Everyone relates to them. Adults love them as much as kids.”
When it’s not laughing, it’s likely the audience will be a bit tense, hoping the slender soul tossed high up by his partner won’t land with a thud feet away from the stage. Fear not, audience. This Cirque troupe — a team of dancers, gymnasts and acrobats who will balance, bend and whirl for you — has practiced long and hard. It takes about two years from the start to get a Cirque show on the road.
“The high wire, the wheel of death?” says choreographer Ford, who has worked with everyone from musicians to figure skating champions. “I can guarantee, they will have people on the edge of their seats.”
Tremblay, the artistic director, echoes the statement.
“We make people realize the extent of what the human body can do,” he says.
On an elaborate set, you’ll see more than 50 performers from 14 countries perform such feats as balancing on a 23-foot tower of chairs; crossing twin high wires above the stage; juggling balls, hoops and clubs; and flying into the air 30 feet above the stage from a teeterboard. The trapeze artists will have you scoffing at the routine circus acts of old.
“There’s a focus on acrobatic acts, and that’s the premise of the show,” Tremblay says. “But it’s also important to us to have emotion conveyed by the artists, so it’s not only pure movement.”
The show, he says, explores themes of fear, power and identity.
Cirque fans will appreciate another group of pros behind the scenes: the set designers who create a stage, a “Bataclan” so realistic, you’ll forget you’re sitting in a tent that took 11 days to set up. Visit the show, and you’ll be transported from the heart of the Mile High City to a magical town square in Montreal. The artists who create the costumes and paint faces that would make Picasso jealous conjure a wonderland of colorful, exotic creatures.
Cirque is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and Tremblay says its founder, Guy Laliberte, is still very much in the scene.
“He selects the director, and comes from time to time to each production,” Tremblay says. “He wants to make sure the show reflects his philosophy. He wants to be entertained and moved. This show is back to the basics. It’s what he intended.”
cirque du soleil, “kooza.
” Circus. Pepsi Center, Grand Chapiteau (circus tent) Thursday-Sept. 27 $38.50-$215.cirquedusoleil.com
